INTERNATIONAL STUDENT PROGRAM
What a year!
I have now been the Manager of our International Student Program for 8 years. During this time I am constantly amazed by the independent, brave young boys and girls who venture from their home countries to study in Australia. Some students are accompanied by a parent, some live with relatives or family friends, but most choose to live with one of our local homestay families. These students have the opportunity to immerse themselves in Australian family life, and many of them do. Living with a local family offers a safe environment, a private bedroom, a place to study and 3 meals a day.
…. Moving forward to March 2020 and as we know, everything changed.
Firstly our International Students and their families needed to decide, and at short notice, whether to stay in Melbourne or return to their home countries. Most students remained in Melbourne to study remotely through online learning. Let’s call this ‘Online Study Part 1’. This was an anxious time for everyone with so much uncertainty around the world, in Australia and specifically in Melbourne, and so much upskilling to be done in order to effectively study remotely.
Fortunately however, as the saying goes, ‘when the going gets tough, the tough get going’; our teaching and support staff, our students and our supportive homestay families all stepped up to ensure that the best possible welfare was provided to our International Students. As the Manager of the program, I cannot thank everybody involved enough; from our teachers who worked tirelessly to develop online learning lessons and support materials, our support staff overseeing student wellbeing (especially Ms Jessica Luong and Ms Thuy Nguyen), to our homestay families who in many cases had to manage their own work situations, their own family’s needs and in many cases their own children’s education.
Unfortunately a second wave of COVID-19 resulted in a second round of remote online learning (Online Study Part 2), and the challenge of maintaining a set routine, motivation and determination to ‘keep at it’, especially during the colder Winter months has pushed many of us to our limits, but we are nearly there, and as I’m sure all of us are, I am hopeful that school will again resume early in Term 4.
To our Year 12 students, this has been a year like no other. You didn’t deserve a year like it has been but ‘it is what it is’. There are bigger and better things ahead of you in the future, so don’t let the challenges of 2020 linger any longer than they need to. Make the most of what you have learned this year and acknowledge how well you have done to manage the circumstances you have been confronted with. You will all be stronger because of it, and think of the amazing stories you will be able to share with your own children and grandchildren in the future. You are nearly at the end of Year 12 so push on and do the best that you can.
To the parents in our community, and especially the parents of our International Students, thank you for trusting that the welfare of your children has remained our number one priority, that the online educational services provided by our teaching staff have been professional, caring and supportive, and that 2020 has not been a year of waste, but rather, a significant year of learning.
Finally to our homestay families, we cannot thank you enough for the ongoing support that you have provided. Remote online learning has pushed everyone to their limits, none more so than our homestay families. You are truly amazing, caring and supportive as our students make their way in our school, in Melbourne and eventually to university. Without you our program would not exist and our students, coming from all over the world, but mostly from Asian countries, would not have the experience to study alongside local students, who also benefit through friendships and a greater understanding of different cultures, in a world that is more globally connected than ever before.
Wishing everyone a safe September break
Gary R. Agg
Manager, International Student Program
